This invention relates to shoe fasteners and more particularly to elastic or spring type fasteners adapted to replace the shoelaces used in existing, conventional type shoes or which may be installed by the manufacturer to replace shoes having lace type fasteners.
For many decades, a variety of different substitutes have been proposed in the prior art to replace the shoelace and, among others, have included elastic strands with hooks fitted onto the ends thereof to engage the eyelets provided along the shoe flaps for lacing up the shoe.
In U.S. Pat. No. 583,564 to Benford, there was disclosed in 1897, one such rudimentary concept which included a plurality of elastic bands, each of which included individual hooks at the outer ends to engage each of the eyelets of the shoe.
In 1909, U.S. Pat. No. 918,571 to Mauersberger disclosed an elongated keeper spring 11 which extends along the flaps on each side of the shoe. A number of resilient bands, each having a hook at opposite ends thereof, were provided to engage the keeper spring for holding the shoe in closed relation over the instep of the wearer's foot.
In 1942, U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,225 to Tonai disclosed a plurality of discrete rubber strands, each having a hook embedded at opposite ends thereof for fitting individually into the eyelets of the shoe flaps.
In 1958, U.S. Pat. No. 2,839,804 to Benoit disclosed a shoelace structure similar to Tonai, except that an anchor plate is provided for securing one end of each of the elastic bands in place on one flap of the shoe. In was still required, however, to fit individually the several hooks into the eyelets of the second flap.
In 1970, U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,218 to Woolner, apparently recognized the drawback of the prior art patents and proposed a fastener device comprised of an elastic band of sufficient width to span two adjacent lacing eyelets of the shoe. Nonetheless, at opposite ends thereof, each such band had a hook member with two legs so that each leg of each hook had to be individually fitted into each of two adjacent eyelets and then turned under the collar or flap of the shoe. It will readily be appreciated that this construction would require extensive and precise manipulation to close and open the shoe.
None of the prior art patents or practices of which applicant is aware has provided a simple and efficient shoe closure device in which the user need not handle a plurality of separate spring members nor take the pains to manipulate individually a plurality of hooks for fitting into each of the several eyelets of the shoe.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved shoe fastener in which all the parts thereof are adapted to be fully assembled onto the shoe and which by one manipulation, can be fastened or unfastened.
It is another object of this invention is to provide a quick connect and disconnect fastener of the above type in which an optional ring which may be engaged by a hook on the end of an elongated wand for closing and opening the shoe to be used in the event the user has a range of motion disability which might inhibit the tying of his shoes.
A further object of this invention is to provide a shoe fastener which is adapted for ease of installation on the existing pairs of shoes with shoelace eyelets or which may be readily installed by a shoe manufacturer in lieu of shoelaces as an original equipment installation.